Nollywood Actor, Dr. Kenneth Okonkwo, has declared to contest in the forthcoming governorship election in Enugu State under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as not working.
Okonkwo who declared weekend during the expanded stakeholders meeting of the APC, Enugu State chapter, said he want to replace the incumbent governor because he has nothing to show for in terms of legacy projects in four years of his administration.
He said that the problem that engulfed the state since 1999, have been stakeholders issue, stressing that what is needed now is the people’s governor.
“My people made that move, called me and I said God forbid that I will quench your spirit. I said I am going to present myself in line with the wishes of my people for this post to be the governor of Enugu state 2019 and I so present myself.
“I want you to understand that it is beautiful when you are coming under a party that you have perused the constitutional aims and objectives and you have ensured that those objectives are compatible with your own aims and objectives as a politician.
“In APC, our aim is to build a nation that will grantee political stability, mutual and peaceful co-existence, respect and understanding and equal opportunity for all. We are here to render selfless at all levels of governance that will grantee people sense of nationality and patriotism. And I have found those believes compatible with my own believe. I Dr. Kenneth Okonkwo hereby present myself to be the gubernatorial candidate of this party”, he declared.
The Nollywood Actor, explained that it would be more difficult for him to win the APC ticket than winning the governorship itself.
“It is easy to win a non-performing person; it is easy to win somebody whose greatest achievement is billboards and posters.
“We are not talking about refurbishment, we are talking about legacies”, while challenging anybody from Nsukka zone to show him any legacy project that the current PDP administration have done in Nsukka zone. “So if it is not done in Nsukka zone where he come from I don’t need to ask other zones”
“Now an Nsukka man being a governor for four years has no legacy project except publishing few kilometers of roads and mountain of billboards all over the state. If we end at that, that will be a smear to the quality of an Nsukka man who is known to be hard working nationally”, he said.
Okonkwo said that when I becomes the governor, he would replicate what they did in Nollywood; where millions of jobs were created without any support but with hard work.
“We want to deploy such input and creativity to create legacy project that Nsukka people can be proud of. That is why they said I must proceed to contest for the governorship of Enugu state come 2019 and we will win.”
The Nollywood Actor disclosed that he is only going to serve for one term if elected stressing that since an Nsukka man has served for one term, if elected he would only serve one term in the spirit of zoning arrangement in Enugu State
In his speech, the former Governor, Mr Sullivan Chime, stressed the need for the members to embrace peace saying, “APC doesn’t have the luxury of crisis.”
He applauded the decision of the APC NEC to extend the tenure of its leaders, noting that “it would have been the opportunity for enemies to scatter the party. As things are now, what is before us is more important.”
On the choice of the party’s guber candidate, he said it was necessary to choose candidates “who will lead us and bring results. I pray that we won’t have difficulty in choosing who will be our governorship candidate in 2019.”
“I want us to admonish ourselves, nobody should contest election because he want to contest election. It is not a work that people look for, anybody that want work should go and write application so that he will get job. Politics is about going to represent your people.”
In his remarks, the VON boss, called on the party in the state and South East to support Buhari for a second term in office because it is the closest possible gateway to the Igbo presidency in 2023
Okechukwu said that what the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, leadership could not do for the South-East zone throughout its 16-year leadership was now being done by the APC government.
“Ndigbo have hope in APC; if we support President Muhammadu Buhari to complete a two-tenure in 2023, Igbos will have golden opportunity to produce the president because equity and justice will be on our side”, he said.
Earlier in his addressing, the Enugu APC chairman, Dr .Nwoye said that for the party to move forward, he had forgiven anyone who offended him, even as he asked those he may have offended in one way or the other to also forgive him and join hands in moving the party forward.
While announcing that the party would field candidates in all elective positions in 2019, the state chairman said “the Lion Building is our target, and in doing that, we must also make ensure that President Buhari gets the highest votes that will be case in Enugu State.”
“We have the power and all it takes to confront the PDP in 2019”, he added but cautioned against sabotaging the plans of the party by some members.
“If there is anybody here who will support the election of a PDP candidate, this is not place for you, you should leave us; what we want is purely candidates of APC extraction.
“We must drop our egos and focus on winning elections. In the interest of the party, I tender unreserved apology to those I may have offended by my words and actions. By the same token, I have forgiven those who offended me their conducts. These include those who filed false cases against me in the DSS, EFCC, courts, among others”, he said.
Some dignities that attended the meeting include; Barr. Sullivan Chime, the Director-General Voice of Nigeria, (VON), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, former Speaker, Enugu House of Assembly, Hon Eugene Odo, APC 2015 Guber candidate, Barr. Okey Ezea, South-East APC publicity secretary, Mr. Hyacinth Ngwu, who represented the South East National Vice chairman, Hon. Emma Enukwu, among others.
